“Christian Society”: A More Influential Concept Than Often Understood?

Abstract

The rise of monarchies; the rise of cities; the supposedly radical break in the Reformation with the communal emphasis of the Middle Ages—all have been described as signs of early secularization. This paper will dispute those claims. It will examine the concept of “Christian society” and demonstrate that it still had a powerful hold on the minds of early modern Europeans, yielding both constructive attempts to strengthen society and fearful attempts to purge it of the contamination of the Other.